


A Vast Ravine

by afrocurl



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: BAMF Charles, Canon Compliant, Emotionally Crippled Erik, Epistolary, Erik Has Feelings, Erik is not a Happy Bunny, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-02 20:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5261630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Brotherhood searches through an office belonging to the Strykers and makes an unwanted discovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Vast Ravine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tirsynni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tirsynni/gifts).



> Written for this prompt: Erik finds out about the Markos.
> 
> I hope this fits what you wanted.

The few times that Erik Lehnsherr had met the William Strykers, Senior and Junior both, he disliked them.

It was not just their equally sly and devious smiles, it was their actual work that made Erik sick; he was more than glad to leave the CIA in 1962 and he would be equally glad to leave this office as soon as he, Mystique, Frost, Azazel and Tempest had what they needed. To that end, he was happy that it was in the very small hours of the night so that there was no chance of running into the elder Stryker, or his simpering son - rising star that he was.

But the office itself was revealing. Too much, Erik thought, as he read through the files before they were burned.

One file was...

It was Charles'.

Erik tried - and failed - to not think of Charles daily. He knew he should avoid all thoughts on the man, but it was impossible. Charles had wormed his way into Erik's life - mind, body, soul - and even their departure at the beach could not stop his mind from remembering what he and Charles had shared.

The file, though, was revealing in a way that Charles' own stories, whispered over games of chess and glasses of scotch, never had been. Namely, there were two names that made Erik's blood boil.

Kurt and Cain Marko.

Charles had always been silent on much of his past - save for the happiness that Mystique brought into his life - and now Erik understood how her presence would temper and even counteract the life with the Markos.

Erik had to read the file three times before he processed what was there.

Kurt Marko was one of Charles' father's associates. Marko had maneuvered his way into whatever heart Charles' mother had left and run through the Xavier fortune as if it were his. Business notes indicated that the elder Marko had been unsuccessful where Charles' father had at least been a moderate success.

Beyond the minor monetary loss to Charles' family wealth, there was the physical toll that both Marko men had taken. On Charles. 

There were scores of medical records from Charles' youth when he had been taken to see the family's trusted physician for various bruises, broken arms, even a broken leg.

Erik did not want to imagine the type of man who could do such a thing to Charles, but he knew that anything was possible when money and power were involved.

"Mystique," Erik said when he could find his voice again. "Have you ever had any dealings with the Markos?"

She simply nodded before she said, "They were my family for a few years. Assholes. Why?"

"Look here," he said, rather than voicing his own memory of the printed words. She took the folder and read, the silence echoing in his head after being so crowded from reading the words on the pages just moments ago. Had he been so much in his head before?

"It all sounds rather clinical and detached.” Mystique shrugged, as if the words on the page were no big deal. “In person it was so much worse."

The lack of emotion from her sent Erik's rage bubbling up; he grabbed the folder from Mystique, and threw it carelessly into the fire to burn.

"If that's true, then I hope we take this information - the useful information - and bring these two men down. No one should have that much access to our weaknesses."

Mystique just nodded, picking up another file and leafing through it. Erik blinked at her lack of reaction, trying to understand it. As she finished, Frost walked in. 

"Are we done?" Frost asked.

"We are. Did we destroy everything?"

"And then some," Tempest added. "There's nothing left for them to discover about us."

"Then we'll leave now. But we'll be back later. I don't doubt that these were the only files."

Everyone nodded.

Erik put on his usual mask of indifference and hoped that he had not shown any signs of weakness as he held one folder longer than the others, staring at its contents. 

It was the right thing to show the file to Mystique. She should know what was said of Charles, even if she had chosen to leave him. No one else needed to know. Because in the eyes of the world, Charles Xavier was the light and right side of any potential mutant threat, whereas Erik Lehnsherr would always be the dark and wrong side.

It was foolish of people to think it, but it served Erik's purpose well.

So did the knowledge that there were additional men to add to his list of sinners. That was one thing Erik had gained from the raid. More fuel for his vengeance. Collecting on this debt would feel almost as good as it would feel when the Strykers were discredited and tarnished.

Because no one had the right to hurt a child, but beyond that, no human had the right to hurt mutants. Mutants were better than humankind, Erik knew. How else would he have been alive after so many years? If the humans were so superior, why had they not found a way to kill him?

And a year - especially - made better by Charles Xavier and his idealism. That stupid idealism. That one chasm that kept them apart, and as each other's opposition.

Erik stopped his mind from racing through where his life as Charles' foil would go. He had already spent too much time thinking of Charles today. It did nothing to serve his purpose to think of him, Erik knew, but it was still difficult to put that thought into action.

"Magneto, we need to leave," Frost said. Thankfully she was the only one there to shake his thoughts away.

"We are.” He paused and then added, Out!"

The room was a mess, but it was a mess Erik would happily leave behind.

Unlike the mess of his emotions underneath his hard facade. Those seemed to follow him wherever he went.

*

_Charles,_

_Recently, I became aware of some of your more personal details and I think I better understand you._

_However, I will say that if I was able to find this information, so can anyone else. I did not find the information originally, but if you wish to remain the respected man that you are, you’ll need to look into matters. You know how important perception is to the world._

_Your stepfather and stepbrother, if they are still alive, should be summarily shot dead. I don’t say that of many people, but I will say that about them._

_Be careful, Charles. The world is still not as safe as you would wish it._

_EML_

-

The takedown of the Strykers office took time to sift through. Days shifted into weeks. There were other offices in their records - more copies of all those files - that needed to be destroyed.

As Erik read through another series of files to see that this information was the same as the previous ones, there was a small note in Charles’ file in Charles’ scrawl. It was odd, and then not at the same time, to see it staring at him. Charles - or one of his acolytes - had been here.

_The Markos have long ago been dealt with, my friend. I was never as naive as you imagined, but I am glad that you have seen it for yourself. We are neither all good nor all bad._

_No matter what anyone wished to tell you._

_Be careful._

_CFX_

Erik read the note three times before he slipped the sheet into his pocket.

The rest of the file would be destroyed in minutes, but Erik wanted to keep any small reminder of Charles’ concern. He turned to the next pile of folders, then reached into his pocket and felt for the note, rubbing it between his fingers.

Charles.

No one else could worm their way into Erik’s heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all of those who helped get this into shape. You know who you are.
> 
> Title from Death Cab for Cutie's "Pity and Fear".


End file.
